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Indonesia focuses on at-home treatment as cases surge
Authorities have projected the country will reach the peak of the third wave between late February and early March this year.
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Badie Uzzaman, 26, a volunteer of Indonesian NGO Dompet Dhuafa, talks with a COVID-19 patient undergoing self-isolation as he delivers free food, in South Tangerang, on the outskirts of Jakarta on July 11, 2021. (Reuters/Willy Kurniawan)
T
he government has said it will prioritize at-home treatment and telemedicine to treat COVID-19 patients in a bid to prevent the healthcare system from collapsing as cases start to rise across the country, partly driven by the transmissible Omicron variant.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said on Friday that the government had prepared an array of measures, including ramping up telemedicine services, to contain the spread of the coronavirus as the country has started to record an uptick in infections.
“Not all Omicron cases need direct [healthcare] service, because it generally causes less severe symptoms,” said Jokowi. “The most important thing is to minimize contacts to prevent further spread [of the virus].”
He added that asymptomatic patients were allowed to self-isolate in their respective houses for five days and that people who exhibited symptoms such as a cough or fever-like symptoms could access telemedicine services or pay a visit to the nearest community health center (Puskesmas).
“Therefore, the burden on healthcare facilities, from Puskesmas to hospitals, can be eased. This is important so that our healthcare facilities can focus on treating patients with more severe symptoms or patients of other diseases that need intensive care,” the President said.
Authorities previously projected that the country would reach the peak of the third wave between late February and early March.
Read also: COVID-19 third wave takes hold in Jakarta
